Articles
Bugs in My Ears
By Karl C. Priest 11-21-2008 (revised 3-18-09)
I’d rather have a bee buzzing around me than have to listen to people (especially adults) who are unable to express themselves with out saying “like” or “go”. For example, instead of “I thought”, it is “I was like” and instead of “I said”, it is “I was like”.
Worse than a mosquito near my ear is the frequent, “Oh, my god! (omigawd)” I want to ask them, “Since you brought it up—who is your god?” Sadly, that phrase (“Oh my god!”) is often recorded as the last words in some tragedy such as a plane crach..
This brings me to the slippery slope of profanity. The greatest television shows (Andy Griffith and Little House on the Prairie for example) were tremendous successes without profane dialogue. Then came along some other fairly tame programs that started slipping in a “hell” here and there. (There will be more about “hell” below. Pun intended.) From an occasion use of “damn”, society gradually moved to using God’s name in vain with “God!” as an exclamation. It wasn’t long until “Jesus” and “Jesus Christ” were used likewise. Now, “G-- D---” is commonly heard on network television along with just about any obscenity imaginable.
I think Satan’s strategy to get people to block out that they are hell bound is (besides getting preachers not to preach about it) to make “hell” an often used word.
There are appropriate times (such as this) to use “hell” and even an inappropriate (but meaningful) time when someone angrily tells another to go there. I do not think it is acceptable to use the word as a figure of speech describing something that is terrible because hell is far worse than anything that can happen in this life (see addenda). Maybe, it is not wrong to say something that is certain is “as sure as hell”.
However, think about how “hell” is used so many other times from Judge Joe to Rush Limbaugh. You would think those two men would be able to express themselves better. I wonder if either of them thinks that use of that term makes them “macho”.
Here are a few that come to mind: “oh hell”, “like hell I will”, “a hell of a”, “a snowball’s chance in hell”, “hell’s bells”, “hot as hell”, “get the hell out”, “hell fire”, “hell yes/no”.
The degradation of grammar and morals is part of the natural course for a society that abandons its Judeo-Christian foundation.
Let me put a bug in your ear—it is only going to grow worse.
Addendum
HELL
Hell is mentioned frequently in the Bible.
Some examples:
Jesus said, “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Matthew 10:28) and “Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?” (Matthew 23:33)
Hell is a place prepared for a purpose. For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, (II Peter 2:4a) The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God. (Psalms 9:17)
Hell is everlasting fire: Matthew 13:42 and 25:41.
There shall be weeping (Matt 8:12), wailing (Matt 13:42), and gnashing of teeth (Matt 13:50) in hell.
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PUT A BUG IN YOUR EAR
To "put a bug (or flea) in (someone's) ear, put a bug (or bee) in (someone's) bonnet, to suggest, hint, reveal, around 1900. This seems to be a later version of to 'earwig.'" "earwig, to pester insinuate, to influence with words, from the earwig insect (first recorded in English in 1000) which was thought to enter the head through the ear." ("Listening to America" by Stuart Berg Flexner,Simon and Schuster, New York, 1982)
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REAL BUG IN AN EAR
Having a live insect in your ear can be extremely uncomfortable. People are often desperate to get the bug to stop moving.
If you do not have a known hole in your eardrum, it is usually safe to place a few drops of mineral oil into the ear. This will kill the bug and allow you to calmly and safely get to a medical office for further care.
(http://firstaid.webmd.com/foreign_body_ear_treatment_firstaid.htm)
Other advice:
1. DO NOT PANIC
2. KEEP FINGERS AND OBJECTS AWAY FROM EAR
3. IF NECESSARY—CALL A DOCTOR
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EARWIG
The insect name “earwig” is derived from Old English eare "ear" and wicga, "insect". (Wicga is in turn related to wiggle, and ultimately to other words implying movement, including way and vehicle, all from PIE *wegh-.) The name comes from the old wives' tale that earwigs burrow into the brains of humans through the ear and therein lay their eggs. Earwigs are omnivores that are predisposed to hiding in warm humid crevices and as such one may crawl into a human ear canal. This is not, however, a location where they are frequently found. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earwig)
Note: Earwigs, like all insects, are utterly amazing. The mother earwig cares for the young by moving, cleaning, and protecting them during the first stages of their lives. To stay warm, the little (1/2 to ¾ in.) earwig can burrow up to six feet into the ground. They do not hurt man except for some minor plant damage. (Karl)
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PRUDE
In case you may think (despite reading the first part of my testimony) that I am a prude, I hereby clarify that I think the King James Bible is just find at I Samuel 25:22, 34; I Kings 14:10, 16:11, 21:21; II Kings 9:8, 18:27; and Isaiah 36:12. However, the medical term would better be used in modern conversation.
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